12 step recovery

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Grandpa; Grandpa

At alcohol and drug treatment programs, 12 step meetings are part of the daily schedule. At one such meeting a man who was 65 years old was qualifying. He had been in and out of detoxes and rehabs since his early 20’s. This time however he felt that things would be different. He had experienced a spiritual awakening. He had 15 grandchildren who he loved to take to the park or fishing. Lately however, he had been avoiding them. They would call him up and say, “Grandpa; Grandpa we miss you. Why aren’t you coming over to see us”? He had no answer for them. Then it suddenly hit him. He said, “I didn’t want them to see me drunk or stinking of booze, so I stopped seeing them”. Within a short time he had checked himself in to an alcohol and drug rehab center. Now, he had some time and was telling his story to help other newcomers.
Most of us can identify the moment we made that decision to put down drugs, alcohol, food or any other addictive substance. When it occurred it was just a small blip on the screen of our life. However, its importance can not be overestimated. Why then, often after years or decades of addiction were we able to stop using? For many of us, the only explanation was an intervention by our Higher Power.